Embraceable You
by TheAngryTori
Summary: Elwood Blues gets a chance meeting with a girl who could be his somebody. After thinking he's lost her forever, she is thrown back into his life. But can he keep her in it, while still fulfilling his mission from God?
1. When I First Saw You

Author's Note: I just watched The Blues Brothers for the first time in my life. I know, ridiculous. What's wrong with me? But I fell in love with Elwood Blues, and I needed to write something just for him. So, here it goes. I own nothing, except for Victoria.

* * *

Chapter One: _When I First Saw You_

It was 10 p.m. in Chicago. In this city, even such a light rain as was falling tonight felt piercing, tossed about by the strong winds. Elwood Blues was on his way home from work when he saw her for the first time, the young woman in a blue dress, holding a sweater above her head to shield herself from the rain. She was hunched over the front of a red, 1960's Toyota Stout. The hood was up, and she was peering inside with a look of desperation. He was tired, and wanted nothing more than to get back to his small room in the men's hotel, make some toast, and try to get some sleep. But she just seemed so helpless, he couldn't help but to pull over to the side of the road and shut down his car. He stepped out of the retired police car, flipped up his collar to keep away the rain, and headed toward her along the empty street. "Excuse me, miss?"

She whirled around, reaching up into the pocket of the sweater above her head, and pulling out a small handgun. "I know how to use this," she threatened, holding out the pistol in a way that assured him she wasn't bullshitting. He placed his hands in front of himself in a sign of surrender.

"Easy there," he assured. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanted to see if you need any help."

"Oh." She turned her steady gaze away from him to the truck behind her, and then quickly back to him. "Are you good with cars?"

He gave her a slow, easy grin. "Yes, ma'am." She slowly lowered the gun to her side and took two steps to the side, allowing him to approach the truck.

"I would really appreciate your help," she told him, with a tone that betrayed the confidence she had just showed. "To be honest, I have no clue what I'm doing. It just died on me all of a sudden."

"Let me take a look," he told her, stepping forward and resting his hands on the edge of the truck. He could tell that it had been well-maintained over the years. All of the parts were in surprisingly good condition for the age of the vehicle. Even so, he knew he was going to have to get his hands dirty. She was still standing beside him, watching him with her steady gaze. He stepped back and began to remove his jacket and roll up his sleeves underneath. He held out his jacket to her. "Here. Stay warm."

She looked up at him, surprised. She quickly shrugged into the sweater that was still above her head, replacing it with his jacket. He was relieved to see her place the pistol back into her pocket. "Thank you," she said softly, and hesitated. "I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you."

He chuckled. "'S Okay," he answered, reaching his hands into the inner workings of the pickup. "You were just being careful. It's a dangerous neighborhood."

"Are you from around here?" she asked eagerly. He glanced at her, and she seemed to shrink back into herself, embarrassed by her forwardness. She seemed about to apologize, so he cut her off.

"Yeah. I've lived in Chicago my whole life. I've got a place over on Van Buren now."

"Van Buren? There's a great little diner on Van Buren, the Dill Pickle? They have the best oatmeal."

He grinned widely at her. "Yeah! And they have great white toast."

"You know, if you ask them to, they'll make you a sandwich by putting the—"

"—the oatmeal on the toast!" he finished for her.

"Yeah!" She laughed, looking up at him in surprise. He returned the look with a wide grin, noticing for the first time how beautiful she was. He watched a blush creep up into her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze and turned her green eyes away from him, looking back at the truck. He was surprised by the strength of his desire to get her to look at him again. "I've never known anyone else who liked oatmeal sandwiches," she said softly, shyly, glancing up at him from under his jacket. His grin widened—she was looking at him again.

"I _love_ oatmeal sandwiches," he told her just as softly. They stood, grinning at each other for the longest time. And then suddenly, she drew back into herself, tearing her eyes away from him and looking down at the ground, though the color on her cheeks had darkened. He turned back to the task at hand, noticing a cable that must have shaken loose. He put it back in its proper place and tightened it, pulling his hands free. "I think that should do it. Why don't you give it a try?" She left her spot at his side, hurrying around to the driver's side and climbing into the cab. When the engine roared to life, he closed the hood with a satisfied grin and walked around to her open door, where she sat looking at him with her mouth hanging open.

"How did you do that?" she asked, completely astonished. He laughed in response.

"It was no big deal. Your battery had shaken loose, I just tightened it up again."

Her mouth was still open. "That's amazing! Thank you so much! How much do I owe you?"

He was taken aback by her question. Charging her money hadn't even crossed his mind. Sure, he could always use a little extra cash, and she _had_ offered. He was sure Jake would have taken her up on it. But he could think of several things he'd like more than money from the small, shy girl he had stumbled across tonight. "I don't want any money from you. But I _would_ like to know your name. I'm Elwood," he offered, holding out his hand. The shock was gone, but the blush was back. He liked it when she blushed.

"Victoria," she told him, shaking his hand. Her hand was a little damp from the rain, and shaking a bit from the cold; but it was soft and small, and he thought that it fit perfectly in his.

"I'd really like to see you again sometime, Victoria." He meant it. He'd like to see her every day for the rest of his life, if he could.

"I'd really like that too, Elwood," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. She looked down at her hands which were now folded in her lap. "Unfortunately, I'm headed out of town for a while," she said, gesturing at the suitcase in the passenger seat, which he noticed for the first time.

"Oh?" he asked, more than a little disappointed.

"My friend from college is getting married. In Kentucky. I won't be back until late next Wednesday."

"Oh?" It was all he could think to say to her.

"But maybe… Maybe, next Thursday, if you aren't doing anything, maybe we could meet for lunch? At the Dill Pickle, we could get oatmeal sandwiches?" she suggested eagerly, looking up at him for approval. He grinned for what felt like the thousandth time since meeting her, resting his elbow on the door of the car and resting his chin in his hand.

"That would be delightful," he answered. "I could meet you there at 12?"

"Okay," she replied, reaching up to push a damp curl of her dark brown hair out of her eyes. She paused for a moment, a quick expression of confusion crossing her brow, and then realization hit her. She still had his jacket! She reached up and pulled it off of her head, forcing it into his hands. "I am so sorry! Look at me, letting you freeze to death in the rain!" He laughed and accepted the jacket, shrugging into it quickly and flipping up the collar again. "Thank you again, Elwood. I'm…I'm very glad you stopped to help me."

"I am, too." He was completely surprised when she leaned out of the car and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you next Thursday," she whispered. He nodded his head in reply and, grinning, walked back to the police car. He turned and waved to her as she drove by, and she waved back with a smile on her face.

Elwood was still grinning as he drove home, parked his car, and walked along the block to the men's hotel. He was still grinning as he climbed the stairs, gave the old man playing solitaire a can of Cheez Whiz, and got his mail from Lloyd at the desk. He grinned as he climbed the stairs to his room, grinned as he fell back on his bed and opened the letter from Jake, grinned as he read through the letter. And then suddenly, the grin fell from his face. He read through it again, making sure to carefully read the date of his early release, the date that Elwood would have to go and pick up his brother from Joliet.

The 17th.

Thursday, the 17th.

Next Thursday.

...

Shit.


	2. A Good Man is Hard to Find

Chapter Two: _A Good Man is Hard to Find_

Victoria couldn't stop thinking about that man. A week and a half had passed since she met him, and she couldn't shake him from her thoughts. She felt completely ridiculous, feeling so strongly about a man she had only known for maybe 15 minutes. She was startled to find herself walking through the door of the Dill Pickle at 11:50 on Thursday. She'd been sitting in her truck for half an hour, debating whether to go in, and had in fact decided to go back home. But her legs seemed to have betrayed her, and she found herself sitting down in a booth and ordering a coffee from the skinny waitress who came up to her with a bored expression. When the coffee came, she wrapped her hands around it in an attempt to calm their shaking and stared into the cup, looking for answers in the smooth, black liquid.

What was she doing here? She barely knew this man! Sure, he was handsome, and a sharp dresser; but was that enough? What else did she really know?

_Well,_ she tried to rationalize, _I know that he's good with cars. And he's kind enough to pull over and get out in the rain to help somebody. Even if that somebody points a gun at him._ She sighed heavily, pouring sugar into her coffee and stirring it lazily. _He's polite, too. Sure, he wears his sunglasses at night, which is a bit strange. But he likes oatmeal sandwiches, so he can't be that bad, right? And good God, is he handsome!_ She was shaken from her thoughts as the waitress returned to ask if she was ready to order. "I'm waiting for someone," she replied, deciding in a split second that she would stay for this date. Where was the harm in one little date? She was just getting to know him, right?

_Right,_ she assured herself, glancing down at her watch. 12:05. He was a little late, but it's no big deal. She took a long sip of coffee to steady her nerves. Surely he would be there soon.

* * *

Half an hour later, she was still sitting alone. Had he forgotten? Certainly not. Maybe something had come up. She asked for a refill on her now-empty cup of coffee.

* * *

Another half hour passed. An hour later, and he still wasn't there. He had been so eager to see her again. He couldn't have forgotten about her, could he? She couldn't seem to think about anything else. Had he really forgotten her so easily? She stirred her third cup of coffee quickly, nervously, hoping that he was alright and hadn't gotten into an accident or anything, but also secretly hoping that that was the case and he hadn't merely forgotten about their date.

* * *

After another half an hour, she felt ridiculous. She should just leave. Clearly he didn't care about her. He had stood her up; that had to be it. A lot could change over a week and a half. She sipped her coffee slowly, nearing the end of the third cup but unwilling to drink any more than that. She decided to give him another half hour, and then she'd be gone.

* * *

At 2:00, she threw a wad of bills down on the table for the coffee, stood, and headed toward the door. She didn't understand what had happened, or how she had read him so wrong, but all she wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and cry for a while. It seemed like the best solution.

"Excuse me, miss?" She turned to see the waitress calling to her from behind the counter.

"I'm sorry, I left the money on the table," she answered, gesturing toward where she had been sitting.

"That's fine, sweetie," she responded dismissively. "I was actually wondering if your name is Victoria?"

Confusion crossed her brow. "Yes…" she answered cautiously.

"A man left a letter for you," she answered, reaching into the pocket of her apron and pulling out a white envelope. "Tall man, wore his sunglasses inside. Had a strange name…"

"Was it Elwood?" she offered, trying not to seem too eager as she stepped up to the counter.

"Yes, that's it! He was very polite. Told me to give it to the most beautiful girl to walk in here today. No offense to you, miss, but that's a pretty vague description. I wasn't sure if it was you," she told her as she handed the letter over. "I took the liberty of reading it, just to make sure it wasn't nothin' illegal, o' course. If you don't mind me saying, he seems like a good man. And a good man sure is hard to find."

Victoria held the letter in both hands, looking at her name written on the front of it in disbelief. "Thank you," she told the woman at the counter, turning and leaving the diner and heading to her truck. She climbed into the driver's seat, locked the door, and just sat there staring at the envelope. Her hands were shaking again. She couldn't figure out why that man made her so incredibly nervous. She turned the envelope over and tore it open, unfolding the piece of notebook paper slowly and staring at the surprisingly neat handwriting.

Victoria,

I am so sorry to not get to see you again. I won't bullshit you: my brother has been released from Joliet early, for good behavior, and I'm going to pick him up. You probably won't want anything to do with me now, knowing that my brother's been to prison, and I understand. You're way too good to be caught up with a guy like me. You are the most attractive woman I've ever met; I can't get you out of my head. I would do anything for a chance to see you again. But it's probably for the best that you forget about me. I'm sorry to have wasted your time.

It was signed, Elwood Blues.

She read through the letter three more times. He hadn't forgotten about her. She didn't care that his brother was in prison; much more importantly, he had called her attractive, had told the waitress at the diner that she was beautiful, had told her that he couldn't get her out of his head. Her heart soared, and she knew she had to see him again. She knew he lived nearby, and by the time she started up her truck and put it in drive, she had decided that she'd come back to that diner every day if she had to, in the hope of seeing him again.

* * *

That night, Elwood Blues sat in the open window of his apartment as his sleaze of a brother snored in his bed. He looked out into the street below, chewing on a piece of toast, and thinking about the chance that he'd missed. _She had been right down there_, he thought with a sigh, staring at the sidewalk outside of the diner next door. Of course, he was beyond glad to have Jake back. He rubbed his cheek, where she had kissed him over a week ago. He could still remember the feel of her lips against his skin.


	3. You Look Beautiful Tonight

Author's Note: Hello!Another chapter, and this one's longer than the others. I took some liberties with the timeline of the movie, but hopefully it's nothing too unbelievable. I don't think it is. I've hit a bit of writer's block, unfortunately. I intended for this to be an even longer scene, but I'm stuck, so I thought I'd update what I've got anyway. I hope you enjoy it! Some reviews would be great, just to let me know if you're digging this and if I should continue. Reviews are also great motivators to work through my writer's block, so there's that. That'll certainly help contribute to a speedy update!

* * *

Chapter Three: _You Look Beautiful Tonight_

Jake and Elwood Blues walked into the Armada Room at the Holiday Inn to the painful sound of "Murph and the Magictones" attempting to sing "Quando, Quando, Quando". Elwood looked around the room, taking in the sparse audience members, their bored expressions, and the ridiculous outfits the boys were forced to wear. He looked over to his brother, sharing a look. They would have no problem convincing them to leave all this behind. As Murph started introducing the next act, Jake nodded his head and led the way over to a large table near the back where they could sit and talk to all of the guys. Elwood followed and sat down beside his brother silently. The band left the stage and headed over to their table, and the two brothers stood, shaking hands and greeting their old friends and former band members. Murph Dunne, Donald Duck Dunn, Steve The Colonel Cropper, Tom Bones Malone, and Willie Too Big Hall were all there. It was everyone, except for Mr. Fabulous, Matt Guitar Murphy, and Blue Lou. They all sat down as a slow, jazzy song started up from the stage's sound system.

"So, Jake; you're out, you're free, you're rehabilitated. What's next? What's happenin'? What you gonna do? You got the money you owe us, motherfucker?" Elwood stepped in to defend his brother, explaining how the reason Jake got sent to prison in the first place was for sticking up a gas station to pick up the band's room service tab. As far as he was concerned, they were even. He leaned back in his chair as Jake began to explain the boys' plan to get the band back together. He glanced up at the stage for a brief second, just to take a look at the other act, and his heart seemed to stop beating in his chest. It was _her_.

Victoria was here. On stage. Singing.

She was wearing a red dress, the color of the band's suits, but it actually looked appealing against her dark skin. It accentuated her curves, and the cut was much lower than he presumed she felt comfortable with; but she looked beautiful. She seemed terrified of being on stage, standing with her arms wrapped around herself for protection, and singing with her eyes closed. Her voice was not the strongest or best he had ever heard, but it was low and sultry, much better suited for the smoky atmosphere of an underground jazz bar in the 1920s. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He could hear Jake and the band talking, but he didn't hear a word they said, too caught up in the song she was singing, a song called "From the Heart". He couldn't stop staring at her.

She finished the song, opening her eyes for the first time and looking around at the sparse audience, too consumed with their drinks and conversations to pay any attention to her. Elwood began to clap for her, sparking a smattering of applause throughout the room. Her eyes darted to him immediately; he could hear her audibly gasp through the microphone, and her mouth fell open. Her mouth screwed up into a nervous smile, and she muttered a soft "Thank you".

She cleared her throat, looking around the room, and smiled. "I was planning on singing a few more songs for you all, but it appears that my date's here…three days late. So I'm going to go have a little chat, and I'll be back up later. Until then, don't you go changing," she told them, stepping over to the keyboard and pushing a button that began playing "Just the Way You Are" over the speaker system. Elwood watched her step off the stage, picking up and shrugging into the same oversized brown sweater she had had that night in the rain. She buttoned it all the way up, covering her flesh exposed by the low cut of the dress, and began walking straight toward his table.

"She was telling me about that," Willie told them all. "She got stood up by some bum the other day."

"You'd have to be one hell of a sucker to ditch on a gal like that," Murph commented bitterly.

"Oh, I'm sure he had a good reason for it," spoke a soft voice from behind them both. They whirled around to find Victoria standing behind them, smiling gently at Elwood. "Hello, Elwood."

He stood up, removing his hat. "Hello, Victoria."

Her eyes turned away from him, looking at the similarly-dressed man beside him. "You _must_ be his brother," she said with a smile.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Victoria, this is Jake. Jake, this…is Victoria," Elwood introduced, gesturing toward the both of them with his hat.

"Nice to meet you," she said, reaching across the table to shake Jake's hand.

"Uh, can I buy you a drink?" Elwood offered, desperately trying to ignore the feel of everyone at the table's eyes on him.

Victoria grinned up at him, and he watched as a faint blush found its way onto her cheeks. "Actually, I get free drinks here. So how about I get the next round for everyone?" she asked, looking around at the men around the table. Her question was met with unanimous agreement, and she laughed. "Alright, I'll be right back, then. Elwood, could you come help me carry the drinks?" she asked softly, the color in her cheeks darkening. He followed her without a word, placing his hat back on his head. She didn't look at him at all, stepping up to the bar and ordering the drinks. He moved closer to her, leaning in close enough to smell her perfume. She smelled of roses.

"You're a good singer," he told her awkwardly, mentally beating himself up for it as soon as it was said. He tried to cover it up by adding, "And you look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you." Her blush deepened as she finally looked up at him. "Did you know that I work here?"

"No, we were just here to see Murph and the guys. But seeing you here is like a miracle."

She laughed, and for a second he was embarrassed by his awkward way with words. But she was still smiling at him, and then said, "I'm really glad to see you, too. I saw that the diner exploded, and I knew you said you lived nearby. I was worried. I'm glad you're alright."

"Oh, yeah. My apartment blew up, but we're okay." He reached past her to grab a tray of drinks, as she did the same.

"Your… Your apartment blew up?" she asked incredulously, following him back to the table.

"Yeah, but it was a dump anyway. I do miss my record player, though," he mentioned thoughtfully. It was the first time he'd really thought about what happened. It _was_ a pretty unusual thing to happen, he supposed. They'd reached the table, and he had hardly set the tray of drinks down before they were all taken and passed around the table. He reached over to the next table and pulled up another chair for Victoria. He placed it next to his own, and she sat down beside him with another of her smiles. The boys were distracted by their drinks, and picked up their conversation about the band right where they had left off. Elwood reached over beneath the table and touched Victoria's hand. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her face turn bright red, but her hand held onto his and didn't let go.

Elwood sat there, watching her slowly drink a beer while tapping her foot to the beat and humming softly, for the duration of the next song. As it ended, she let go of his hand slowly and looked at him with a small smile. "I have to get back up there," she whispered, and he nodded. He watched her walk back up to the stage, shedding the brown sweater and draping it over the back of a chair.

"Elwood? El. Elwood!" He turned to look at his brother. "What's gotten into you, man?"

"What?"

Jake sighed, turning back to face the band. "Look, don't worry about Matt and Mr. Fabulous. See, me and the Lord; we got an understanding."

"We're on a mission from God," Elwood added. He sat back as the boys chatted more about where to find the others and what Joliet had been like, thoroughly distracted by the young woman singing on stage. He never thought he'd see her again. And now here she was, looking more beautiful than before and glad to see him, too. It couldn't be a coincidence that she sang in the same hotel as Murph and the others. While he didn't want to read too much into it, he didn't think this could be anything else but a sign from God. He wondered, briefly, why God had taken such an interest in his life just now.

A hand on his shoulder jarred him from his thoughts. It was Willie, who leaned in close to his ear and spoke just loud enough for him to hear. "That's a good woman up there, Elwood. Don't be a fool." With that, Willie turned and followed the rest of the band back up to the stage to finish off the night. Beside him, Jake stood up, finishing off his beer, and turned to look at him.

"We gotta go. You want me to wait in the car while you talk to your lady?"

Elwood nodded. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah, yeah. Make it quick, we need to go get Mr. Fabulous."

Elwood stood up, grabbed Victoria's unfinished beer, and headed over to the bar where she stood speaking with the bartender.

"So this asshole stood you up, huh?" he heard the bartender ask her, giving him an appraising look.

"Shut up, Larry," she told him bitterly.

"I'm just saying. I'd never make you wait for anything, babe."

"I said shut up. Just give me my check so I can get away from you." He handed it over, still glaring daggers at Elwood who ignored him entirely. She took it, stuffed it in the pocket of her sweater, took the beer out of Elwood's hand and downed it, and set it down roughly on the bar. "Night," she spat at the bartender, then grabbed Elwood's hand and led him away from the bar and out the door. He couldn't help it; as they walked away, Elwood turned and waved goodbye to the bartender with a grin, who cursed at him in return.

Outside, Victoria let go of his hand, wrapping her arms around herself instead. She looked up at him shyly. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Sorry about him," she said, gesturing toward the door they'd just come out of. "He's been asking me out since I started working here."

"It's okay," he shrugged. They were silent for a while, just looking at each other.

"I can't believe you're here," she whispered.

"Yeah. I thought I'd lost you." A car horn blew, and they both jumped. He turned to see his brother waving to him from the car. He turned back to her. "I have to go. But I really want to see you again, if I can."

She grinned. "I was thinking about that… Where're you staying, now that your apartment's, uh...gone?"

He frowned. "Well, Jake and I've been sleeping in the car the past couple a nights. Why?"

She got nervous, looking down at her shuffling feet. "Well, you see, my truck wouldn't start today. I had to take the bus. So I was thinking that, maybe, if you were willing, you could give me a ride home and take a look at it? In return, you and your brother could stay in my spare room. And then I wouldn't have to worry about never seeing you again." She looked up at him, and then quickly back down at her feet. "I mean, only if you wanted to."

He grinned. "That sounds like a great plan. You'd be okay having my brother in your house? I mean, he was in jail…"

She looked up at him and shrugged. "Yeah, I don't care about that stuff. Really, you want to stay with me?"

He leaned in close to her, smiling, and whispered in her ear. "I really want to stay with you." He could see her physically shiver, and he pulled away, still smiling. "Come on." He led the way to the new Bluesmobile, holding open the back door for her and watching as she sat down gracefully in the back seat. He closed her door and climbed into the front, looking over at Jake. "We're giving Victoria a ride home," he answered to Jake's questioning expression, turning the key and starting the car.

"Alright, I guess," Jake said, giving an appraising look at the gal in the back. "But we got a stop to make first."


	4. You Got Me

Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Sorry about the delay, things have been pretty crazy here. Once again, this is not actually where I wanted to end this chapter. I intended for it to be much longer, but I am having a difficult time working through my writer's block. You know what would help with that? Reviews! Not that I want to pressure you, but I really have no idea if you guys are liking this story and if I should continue it. And if you're not, I'd really like to know what I should change! So please leave a review or send me a message or something, 'cause I need all the motivation I can get!

Chapter Four: _You Got Me_

Victoria let out a long, low whistle as they spun into the space in front of the Chez Paul. "Nice place," she said, giving the restaurant an appraising look. "You boys are gonna have one hell of a time convincing your friend to leave all this." Jake and Elwood simultaneously looked back at her, then turned and looked at each other.

"You know, you're right," Jake admitted, speaking slowly. "But I bet a pretty face would help to convince him…"

Elwood grinned, turning around to face her again. "Are you hungry, Victoria? Our treat."

She laughed heartily, grinning hugely at him. "You know, now that I think about it, I could definitely go for something to eat."

"Good," Elwood said, quickly getting out of the car and opening her door for her. She gingerly stepped out of the car, grinning up at Elwood and placing her small hand on his upper arm. Together, the two followed behind as Jake led the way inside.

A well-dressed man was standing behind the podium in the lobby of the restaurant, softly and politely speaking to someone on the phone. He looked up as they walked in, caught sight of Jake, and—in his surprise—completely forgot that he was in the middle of a conversation. "Oh, no! I thought it was supposed to be five years. Didn't you get five years?" His voice sounded desperate and fearful, but whoever was on the other end of the phone caught his attention, and he returned to that conversation, making a reservation for 11:30.

Victoria momentarily wondered who in the hell ate dinner at 11:30 at night, let alone made reservations to do so. She dismissed that thought, removed her hand from Elwood's arm, and gazed around the room. It was a beautiful place, much too rich for her tastes, but she supposed she could make an exception. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elwood mess with the door of the cabinet of fine china to see if it was unlocked. She had a sneaking suspicion that when he had said dinner was their treat, he actually meant that it would be on the house. She suddenly wished that she had a pair of sunglasses and a hat like the boys', to give her something to hide behind. She had never dined and dashed before, nor had she done anything illegal, at least that she was aware of. _Oh,_ _well,_ she thought,_ There's a first time for everything…_

"Come, Elwood, Victoria," Jake called out. "Let us adjourn ourselves to the nearest table and overlook this establishment's board of fare." She turned and walked up beside Elwood, putting her hand through his offered arm as he did the same to Jake's. The phone rang again, and she could see the torn expression on the man's face as he struggled with whether he should answer it or stop them. In the end, he answered the phone as the three walked into the dining room arm-in-arm.

They walked up to the only empty table in the entire room, walking right by an elderly couple who were waiting patiently to be seated there. With a certain amount of flair, Elwood graciously pulled out Victoria's chair for her, to which she haughtily nodded her head in thanks. He, on the other hand, simply threw one of his long, lean legs over the back of his chair and sat down. He threw her a quick conspiratorial smile, and then followed Jake's example by messily stuffing his napkin into his collar. She simply laid hers across her lap, having no collar in which to keep it.

They sat for a moment in silence, being completely and wholly ignored by the staff. The room was impossibly quiet, filled only by the clinking of silverware against china and the occasional, muted whispers of gentle conversation. The three shared a look; they certainly didn't belong here. Finally tired of being ignored, Jake raised his hands to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. A waiter was at their table almost immediately.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"Give us a bottle of your finest champagne, five shrimp cocktails, and some bread for my brother," Jake ordered for them. The waiter gave him a disbelieving and appraising look, which caused him to look very much like a ferret and made it very difficult for Victoria to keep from laughing.

"We have a Don Perignon '71, at $120," he suggested.

"That'll be fine, pal," Jake said dismissively, causing the wheels to visibly turn in the ferret-waiter's mind. Anyone who would purchase a $120 bottle of champagne with such nonchalance must be very wealthy. They would certainly have no problems getting service now.

The maitre'd finally approached their table. Jake and Elwood had called him "Mr. Fabulous," and Victoria wondered what his real name was. He was a sad-looking sort of a man, but they claimed he was the best trumpeter around. She had been around enough musicians to know that they could never be happy unless they were producing music, no matter how much money they made doing something else. This man would have to leave this job in order to play with the Blues Brothers—that is, if they didn't get him fired after tonight—but she was sure that he would be much happier getting to play his horn again than he would ever be serving overpriced food to a bunch of snobs. With that reassurance, she resigned herself to doing everything she possibly could to convince him to quit.

"Come on, seriously you guys," he was pleading with them, "the food here is really expensive. The _soup_ is fucking ten dollars!"

"That's no way to speak around a lady," Elwood defended, gesturing to the woman at his right. She gave Mr. Fabulous a seductive glance, taking a dainty sip of her water. It must have been pretty effective; he was so busy staring at her, his mouth open just a fraction, that he almost didn't hear Jake tell him, "We're putting the band back together."

"Huh? No. Forget it. No way."

"We're on a mission from God," Elwood told him in all seriousness. Victoria glanced at him discretely, wondering what in the world he was talking about. She didn't get a chance to ask, though, as their food had just arrived and was being set down on the table before them.

"Hold it, hold it! What's this?" Mr. Fabulous demanded, and was completely ignored. A man at an adjacent table called to him, and he went to see what he wanted. Victoria and the brothers waited patiently as the bread and shrimp was placed before them. Though he was trying to be polite and keep his voice down, they couldn't help but overhear the other customer ask to be moved to another table, on account of Jake and Elwood's "offensive" smell.

With a frown, Elwood turned with a questioning glance to Victoria, wordlessly asking if they really smelled that bad. She replied with an apologetic glance and a shrug. They didn't exactly smell like roses. He raised one arm and sniffed, then shrugged.

His attention was dragged away by one of the waiters, who was offering to pour his champagne. Elwood held up a glass. "Wrong glass, sir," the waiter told him awkwardly and softly, not wanting to offend or embarrass a customer—particularly one whom he suspected to be fabulously wealthy. Elwood's only response was a frown and a nod, holding the same glass out even further to be filled. Victoria's glass was filled as well, and the three of them simultaneously raised their glasses to their lips and drank with long, loud slurps. The other waiters had retreated by the time Mr. Fabulous returned to them.

"Come on, guys, let's go outside. I'll buy a cup of coffee for you and your, uh…friend…" His voice trailed off, and he was staring again, his jaw dropping to the floor. Victoria was gazing at him seductively again, not breaking eye contact as she slowly and sensually picked up a shrimp from the dish in front of her, placed it on her tongue, and even more slowly withdrew her fingers from her mouth, her lips wrapping around her index finger as it retreated. All three men were watching her (as well as several others from across the room) and she felt empowered by being able to capture their—and particularly Elwood's—attention so thoroughly. Suddenly, they were broken from their trance as one of the other waiters called Mr. Fabulous over to reassure the couple whose table had been stolen.

She turned and looked at Elwood, giving him a grin and a wink before throwing another shrimp up into the air and catching it in her mouth. The brothers began to follow her example, playing with their food in the most literal sense. Jake tried to see how many shrimp he could catch in his mouth, while Elwood entertained Victoria by seeing how many pieces of bread he could stuff into his mouth at the same time.

These games were punctuated by more slurps of champagne, and cheesy grins sent to other diners around the room. Victoria couldn't believe how much fun she was having, just goofing off with these two. She marveled at the fact that she had just met Jake hours ago, and that she had only met Elwood once before. She already thought the world of these two, and she could only hope that they were impressed with her, too. She found herself feeling nervous about what Jake thought of her; it was obvious that the brothers were very close (they currently had their arms interlocked as they placed shrimp into their own mouths), and she knew that his opinion of her would mean everything to Elwood. She hoped she was off to a good start.

Suddenly, Jake had pushed his chair back to the table with the man who had complained about their smell, demanding to know (in an untraceable accent) how much the man's daughters cost.

"What?" the man breathed, incredulous.

"Your women. I want to buy your women. The little girl, your daughters. Sell them to me. Sell me your children!"

The man began desperately yelling for the maitre'd, who ran over, grabbed Jake, and pulled him back to his own table.

"Cut it out, cut it out! The owners are gonna ask me to call the cops!"

"You wouldn't do that, would you, sir?" Victoria asked in the airiest, most innocent-sounding voice she could muster.

"He just got outta Joliet, he's on parole. You can't call the cops on him, man!" Elwood said in a voice that was more demanding than it was asking.

"We're putting the band back together," Jake nearly sang.

"I said no. Absolutely not." That was the wrong answer. Jake was back at the other table, heartily slapping the man on the back.

"You! How much for your wife? Ha ha ha!" The man began to choke just a little bit as Jake returned to the table and his conversation with Mr. Fabulous. "We're putting the band back together. We need ya man; we need your horn."

"I can't, I really can't!"

"We got everybody but Matt Guitar Murphy and Blue Lou and we're gettin' them next," Elwood told him with a definitive tone.

"No way." The finality in Mr. Fabulous' words was a challenge to Elwood's; but he wasn't counting on Jake's final card.

"If you say no, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week," Jake said with a completely straight face. The poor man gave a desperate, pleading look to the more rational of the brothers, but Elwood's only response was to grab a fistful of bread off of Victoria's plate and shove as much of it as he could into his mouth. Beside him, Victoria finished off the last of her champagne with a long, annoying slurp.

"Okay, okay, I'll play," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You got me."

As one, the brothers and the girl threw their napkins onto the table and stood, walking out of the dining room. As a final act of defiance, Elwood grabbed onto Victoria and picked her up bridal style, easily carrying her in his arms. She gasped in surprise at being picked up, but then wrapped her arm around his neck and crossed one leg over the other with a look of resignation, as if it were the most common thing in the world.

He continued to carry her all the way out to the car, where Jake opened the back door for them. Elwood set her down gently in the back seat, pulling away as she removed her arms from around his neck-but not before he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "You were brilliant," he whispered in her ear, before standing up and closing her door, heading around to the driver's seat.

She was laughing when he got in and started the car. "I'll have you boys know," she told them, "That was the most fun I've had in a very long time!"

Jake turned around and looked at her as Elwood started the car. "You need to get out more, sister." She laughed heartily, throwing her arms and legs out and lounging in the backseat. Elwood grinned as he began to drive away, knowing that whenever Jake started picking on someone, it was a sure sign that he liked them.


	5. Some Woman

Author's Note: So, this is certainly my favorite chapter so far. Unfortunately, it is once again shorter than I would like it to be. _Fortunately_, I have the next few chapters planned out in my head, I just don't have them written out yet. And I am very, very much looking forward to these next few chapters. So be on the lookout! I may have to up the rating for one of them... Anyway, I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

Chapter Five: _Some Woman_

Victoria's home wasn't terribly far away from the Chez Paul. As Elwood headed in the direction she had told him, he turned to his brother to inform him of their new situation. "So, uh, Jake. Victoria's gonna let us stay at her place for a while."

Jake hesitated, his hand halfway to his mouth with a freshly-lit cigarette. "That a fact?" he asked, turning around to look at the young woman in the back seat. In the rear-view mirror, Elwood saw her face flush.

"Yeah. I've got a spare room, so it'll be no problem."

Jake put the cigarette in his mouth and took a drag, glancing at his younger brother out of the corner of his eye. "You're gonna let us do that? Even though Elwood stood you up?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks for bringing _that_ up," Elwood growled bitterly.

"What? I wanna hear the story. It wouldn't be the first time you did something that stupid, Motorhead."

Victoria laughed good-naturedly. "You really want to hear what happened? It's not much of a story. I met your brother on my way out of town. My truck broke down, and he pulled over and helped me out. It was very gallant, I'll have you know." Elwood tried to hide a smile. "Anyway, he asked me out and I said yes, but we had to schedule it for a couple of weeks later. So I show up at the diner and sat there waiting for Elwood—for much longer than I will ever admit to. Eventually I figure he either forgot, or happened to be a total bastard, so I started to leave. On my way out the door, one of the waitresses stopped me and handed me a letter from your brother, apologizing profusely and telling me that he had had to pick you up from Joliet, and would have to miss our date."

"Oh… Well, shit. So it's my fault?"

"Yup," Elwood spat angrily.

"Shit. Sorry, man."

"You better be," Elwood muttered under his breath.

Victoria laughed again. "It's alright, Jake. It all worked out, ya see? Take a left up here, Elwood. That's it, the third house on the right."

The brothers' jaws dropped as they pulled into the driveway of a two-story blue house, complete with a garage, trees, and even a picket fence. "Damn, girl!" Jake exclaimed as they all stepped out of the car. He and Elwood followed her around the stone walkway to the front door. "You can afford this singing at the Holiday Inn?" She laughed, fishing a ring of keys out of her pocket and unlocking the door.

"I only sing on weekends. During the week I work the front desk. Come on in," she welcomed, holding the door open. They followed her in, looking around at the wide-open entryway. Victoria stepped over to the side of the door, placing one hand on the wall to help keep her balance as she took off her high heels. Elwood stared at her, admiring her form as she bent over. "Besides, my parents left me this house. My grandfather was loaded; he bought it for them as a wedding present. I just have to pay for utilities." She stood up and turned to face them, catching Elwood staring. Her face flushed darker than he'd yet seen it, and she turned away from him. "Boo?" she called out. "Boo, where are you? We have company!"

Jake turned to her. "Who the hell is Boo?" There was a great commotion from within the house, and loud, rapid footsteps approached.

"There you are, girl!" A huge white dog ran and jumped up, placing its front paws on Victoria's shoulders and licking her face. She laughed, pushing the Great Dane off of her and facing the brothers. "Boys, this is Boo Radley. Boo, this is Jake and Elwood." Even standing on all four paws, the dog was nearly as tall as she was. It had turned and started sniffing at Elwood's jacket, whining eagerly. He reached inside his inner pocket, pulling out a slice of white bread and holding it out to her. The dog snapped it up in two bites and licked his hand. "I think you've made a friend," Victoria laughed. He grinned at her, making her blush again. "Now that we're all acquainted, let me show you boys where you'll be staying. This way," she said, leading them up the stairs.

There was a thin hallway with dark green wallpaper. She opened the first door on the left and showed them in. "Here we are!" The room was a good deal bigger than Elwood's entire apartment had been, with light blue walls and beige carpet. A queen-sized bed took up most of the room, with a small bookshelf next to it and a dresser against the opposite wall. She pointed to two doors along the far wall. "You've got a closet there, and a full bathroom through there. My room's further down the hall on the right."

"This is way better than your crappy apartment, Elwood," Jake said. "Listen, I'm gonna get a shower. Any chance you have some spare clothes?"

Victoria tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've got some of my grandfather's things in the basement. He was about your size, we could give that a shot. I'll bring you some towels, too. Wait here, I'll be right back." As soon as she was out the door, Jake jumped back onto the bed with a sigh.

"That's some woman you got there, El."

"Think so?" Elwood asked shyly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Jake sighed, knowing that this was about to get personal. "Well, don't _you_?"

"Well yeah, I think she's… I think she's…" Elwood trailed off, unable to find the words.

Jake placed his hands behind his head. "That's good enough for me, then. Look, if you're digging on her, then she's fine by me."

"But, I mean… You _do_ like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, Elwood, I like her. You sure as hell don't deserve her, though, you know that?"

Elwood looked down at his feet. "Yeah, I know that. I can't figure out why she's still interested in me."

Jake opened his mouth to reassure his brother, but closed it when the door opened and the object of their conversation stepped into the room. "Here ya go, Jake," she said with a smile, holding out a pile of towels and washcloths and clothes. He jumped to his feet and grabbed the items from her hands, hurrying into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Elwood turned and looked at her apologetically.

"He's been in jail for three years. It's been a long time since he's had a real shower."

She smiled. "It's alright." They stood gazing at each other for a lingering moment. "God, I still can't believe you're here."

"Yup," he told her awkwardly, cursing himself for his inability to say everything that he wanted to say to her. She chuckled, though, so he took that as a good sign. "Erm… How about I get to work on your truck, then?"

"Oh, yeah!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Follow me," she said, reaching across and grabbing his hand, pulling him out the door and down the stairs. She pulled him past a sitting room and through the kitchen where her dog was lying on the floor. "She's usually more friendly than this," Victoria told him, chuckling. "She's still a bit pissed at me for leaving her with my neighbor for a week, when I went to that wedding." He nodded, too distracted by the feel of her small hand in his to find something to say. She opened a door in the kitchen and pulled him into the garage, flipping on the light. Her truck was sitting in the middle of a mostly-empty garage. He stepped over to the Toyota, pulling her with him because he refused to let go of her hand.

He released the latch and lifted the hood with one hand, and she raised the bar to keep it open. He peered inside, trying to find the source of the problem.

"I'm going to take Boo for a walk while you're working on this," she told him softly.

"By yourself?"

"Well, sure!" she said with a grin. "I always take her for a walk when I get home. No one's gonna mess with me when I'm walking a dog that's bigger than I am."

"Alright. But be careful all the same. Do you have your gun with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've got it." She turned away from him and began to walk away, but he wouldn't let go of her hand, pulling her back to him.

"Wait," he whispered, his free hand going to caress her cheek. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed, but she didn't pull away when he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her hesitantly, afraid he might scare her away, but she placed her hand on his chest and leaned in to him, deepening the kiss.

She slowly pulled away from him, long after he had forgotten everything else in the world but this woman before him. "Wow," she breathed, her eyes still closed. He kissed her again for good measure, and when he pulled away she was smiling at him. "Okay… Well, I'll just leave you to it, then," she said slowly, pulling away from him. He let her go this time, immediately missing the warmth of her body. She turned and walked up the stairs and through the door. She hesitated there, turning back to look at him. "Wow," she breathed again, and he grinned as she closed the door slowly.

Elwood had a difficult time resisting the urge to chase her down and kiss her again and keep kissing her for the rest of his life. He wanted her. Desperately. And not just physically, he realized, picturing what a life with her would look like. He could see it now:

He would be walking with her through hundreds of record stores, searching through all the bargain bins and building a collection of blues records together.

They'd listen to music on their record player, and he would hold her close as they danced together.

He'd be driving the Bluesmobile with Jake in the passenger seat and her sitting between them, his arm around her shoulders and her head resting against him.

He would practice new songs on his mouth harp for her, as she sat reading a book or knitting, smiling sweetly at him as he played.

He'd be sitting on the couch with his head in her lap, listening to her tell him about her day, tell him stories about her childhood, tell him _anything_, as she played with his hair.

She was too good to be true, but he was determined to make her his, and to give himself to her. He had never wanted a woman this way before. He'd never admit it if asked, but it scared him. Because he was, first and foremost, a blues musician, and blues musicians were never supposed to be _happy_. Their perpetual sorrow was what made their music believable and vibrant and enticing. He needed to be miserable to make great music.

But then Victoria had waltzed into his life as if she owned the place, threatening to do away with his misery and make him happy for the first time in his life. He had started to suspect that he might just need her as much as he needed the blues.

He took off his jacket and his hat, setting them on an old work desk nearby before diving into the inner workings of the truck. With an array of tools at his disposal and his hands in the mechanics of a truck, he was able to clear his mind of all these challenging thoughts and replace them with things he understood, like engines and pistons and carburetors and fan belts.


	6. Pull Me Closer

Disclaimer/Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. I've had this one written for a while now, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to upload it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it and I think it's quite good. In fact, I think I like it better than the previous chapter, which I said was my favorite so far. So this one's my new favorite.

I usually hate it when authors do this, but I would like to dedicate this chapter to IndecisivePsycho. Your lovely review compelled me to get off my lazy butt and do something, and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you. I hope you really like this chapter, too!

Anyway, I've wasted your time long enough. I don't own the Blues Brothers, just my OC. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Six:_ Pull Me Closer_

It was over an hour later before Elwood surfaced from the truck. He was wiping his hands on a rag he'd found when the kitchen door opened and Victoria peeked her head out. She smiled as soon as she saw him, and stepped down into the garage. She had showered; her hair was damp and braided, pulled to the side of her head, and she had changed into leggings and an oversized sweater. She looked so cozy and soft that he held out his arms to her, thrilled when she stepped into him and let him wrap his arms around her. She hummed softly as she rested her head against his chest, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. She was the perfect size for holding.

"How's it coming?" she asked softly, her voice drifting up to him soft and slow, like smoke.

"Good, good. I was able to get it running again. You're gonna need a new fan belt soon, but it should hold out until I can get you one."

She pulled away and looked up at him, surprised. "Seriously? You fixed it?" He just grinned in response, and she laughed. "You are incredible," she told him, her face flushing once she realized what she'd said. "Are you hungry?" she asked quickly, changing the subject.

"A bit."

She smiled broadly. "Good. I made you something." He turned and closed the hood of the truck, grabbed his hat and jacket, and followed her into the kitchen. The dog was sniffing at something on the stove, but backed off and looked at them guiltily as soon as they walked in. Victoria walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a plate as Elwood sat down at the counter, watching her. She slathered a piece of white toast with oatmeal that she scooped out of the pot on the stove, covered it with another piece of toast, and placed the sandwich and plate in front of him with an eager smile.

"Thank you," he told her with a broad grin.

"You want something to drink? Coke, beer, tea?" she asked him, grabbing a bowl and spooning out some oatmeal for herself.

"Tea, please." She pulled down two mugs, filling them with tea from the kettle on the stove. She placed one in front of him, and sat down to eat beside him. Elwood took a bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly. "How is it?" she asked, taking a bite of her oatmeal.

Elwood swallowed, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind; "I love you."

She coughed, choking on her oatmeal, and took a gulp of tea to clear her throat, gasping as the hot liquid went down with a fight. "What?" she asked, as soon as she could breathe again.

"Uh…" Elwood took a large bite of the sandwich, trying to avoid answering. Her dog wandered over and sat beside him, resting its head on his leg and staring up at his sandwich with a whine. Victoria was still staring at him. "I, uh… It's good," he told her. After a moment's pause, she laughed uncomfortably, turning back to her oatmeal.

"Good," she said nervously, not making any sort of eye contact.

"So, uh," he began, desperate to change the subject, "Do you work tomorrow?"

"Mhmm. Every day but Wednesday."

"Oh." He chewed thoughtfully, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "Shouldn't you be gettin' some sleep?"

She shrugged. "Nah, I don't go in until 11, when the first shift takes off for lunch."

"Oh. How'd you end up workin' at a hotel, anyway?"

She laughed, finally looking at him again, though her face was still a bit flushed. "Well, I majored in Hospitality in school. I want to open a bed-and-breakfast one day, so I'm just trying to get some experience and make enough cash to get me there."

"Well, if you make this oatmeal and toast for breakfast every day, you'll have no problem runnin' a B&B," he told her honestly, ripping off a piece of crust and giving it to the dog, who snapped it up immediately.

"That's very sweet of you, Elwood. Thank you." They both finished their food, and Elwood chugged down his tea.

"So how'd you start singing, then?" he asked, taking the empty dishes and heading over to the sink to wash them.

She leaned back in her chair, watching him closely and taking a sip of her tea. "I just sort of stumbled into it, I guess. One night the scheduled singer didn't show up and they needed someone quick. I agreed to give it a shot, and they haven't let me stop. Are… Are you doing the dishes?"

He looked at her over his shoulder. "Uh, yeah. Is that okay?"

She shrugged, taking another sip of tea. "Well, yeah! It's just not really something I was expecting, I guess."

_You're not what I was expecting_, he thought briefly, before shrugging it off and turning back to the dishes. "You said they won't let you stop. Don't you like singing?"

"Not particularly. I don't like singing in front of total strangers. It's terrifying."

"Ya think so? I never really thought about it like that."

"_Really_?"

"Yeah. I mean, with the Blues, I'm not playin' for anyone else, I'm playin' for _me_. I don't really care if anyone's listenin' or whether they're likin' it or not, 'cause all that matters is if I can feel it, ya know? Makes no difference if I'm in front of a thousand people or just playin' by myself in my car. I guess I don't really think about it."

She smiled, finishing off the rest of her tea. She stood and joined him at the sink, drying the dishes he had washed. "I wish I could just not think about it."

They finished the dishes together in silence. Elwood watched her put the dishes away, making mental notes of where everything went. When she finished, she opened her mouth to say something—but before she got the chance he strode over to her and placed his hands on either side of her face, bending to kiss her. Her lips were softer than he could believe, and he couldn't remember how he had ever lived without being able to kiss her. Her small hands were at his chest, gripping his jacket tightly. She moaned softly, just loud enough for him to hear, and he would have kept kissing her for the rest of his life if her dog hadn't decided to bark, startling both of them so bad that they jumped apart. She turned to the dog, who barked again.

"Oh, don't give me that!" The dog barked again, forcefully. "Yeah, I know it's time for bed," she muttered, turning to Elwood. "It's, uh… It's her bedtime," she told him sheepishly, and he laughed in response. "So, uh… Do you want me to get you some clothes to sleep in?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Could you, uh, get me a blanket, too?"

"What for?"

He shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love my brother; but I'm not gonna sleep with him. I'll just crash on the couch."

"Oh! Well… Why don't you just sleep in my bed? With me?"

He hesitated, wondering if this was a trick question. "Are you sure?"

Her face was bright red. "Well, sure! I mean, so long as we're just, ya know…sleeping," she finished quietly.

"Yeah, of course!" he assured, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.

"Okay. I'll just, uh… I'll go try to find some clothes that might fit you. I'll be right back." She disappeared from the kitchen in a flash. He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the dog who was watching his every move. It was a bit unnerving. Victoria spoke to it like she would a human, so he thought he might give that a shot.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm the one who gave you all that bread, remember?" The dog gave a kind of whine, but made no other acknowledgment that she understood him. He stared back at the dog until Victoria came back.

"Here you go," she said, handing him a pair of long john bottoms and a long-sleeved T-shirt, which he accepted with a smile. She turned to the dog. "Come on, Boo. Let's go to bed." Elwood and the dog followed her up the stairs, past the door behind which he knew his brother would be sleeping, and through the door on the right. Her room was painted dark blue, sparsely decorated. The dog ran forward and hopped onto a large, black dog bed on the floor beside the queen-sized bed. Elwood turned to Victoria.

"Would it be alright if I took a shower?"

"Of course! The bathroom's right through there," she said, pointing to the door to his right. "There are clean towels already hanging up in there."

"Thank you," he said, heading through the door and into the bathroom.

* * *

Elwood took a long, cold shower, trying not to think about the fact that Victoria had just been naked in this same shower, or that he was going to be sharing her bed. He tried not to think about anything at all. He finally got out of the shower, dried off, and put on the clothes she had given him. The pants were too short in the leg, and a bit too large in the waist; but they were comfortable and he hadn't had anything to wear except for his suit in a long time. It felt good to have something clean to wear. He pulled the shirt on, slipped on his sunglasses, grabbed his clothes and hat, and walked back into the bedroom.

Victoria was already asleep, curled up under the covers of the bed. He set his clothes and hat down on the ground. The dog raised its head and watched him as he turned off the light, climbing into bed beside Victoria.

He laid still for a moment, unsure of what to do with himself. He'd never just _slept_ beside a woman before, and didn't know what he could and could not do. He wanted to hold her, but he also didn't want to scare her or make her uncomfortable.

The young woman beside him gave a little start in her sleep and rolled over, right into him. One of her arms snaked across his chest, and she curled her body against him, still breathing evenly enough that he knew she hadn't woken. Even so, he took this as a good sign and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, responding to the warmth of his body. With a smile, he gently kissed her forehead, before drifting off into the most peaceful sleep he'd ever known.


	7. There's Something About You

Disclaimer/Author's Note: Surprise! Here's another chapter to make up for that hideously long delay. I've had this one written for a while too, and while I felt better about this than the previous chapter, I can't very well upload them out of order. Which is really unfortunate, since I have one more chapter written up that I really really love, but it isn't the _next_ chapter so I can't give it to you yet (and I might just have to raise the rating to M for that one...). I don't have the intervening chapters written, but I have a solid plan for them, and I just got the extended edition of the movie so I should be more inspired now than I have been (Netflix took it off of InstantPlay, and that just ruined my motivation).

So! This one is also dedicated to IndecisivePsycho for breaking me from my stupor. I'd also like to take this time to request that you review this story. As I hope this proves, I really do love getting reviews, good or bad, and they motivate me to keep writing. So if this story is worth an extra minute of your life, please take that time to let me know what you think. If not, I promise I'll understand.

I don't own the Blues Brothers, just my OC! And I truly do hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

* * *

Chapter Seven: _There's Something About You_

**Beep…Beep…Beep…**

With a groan, Victoria raised her arm up out of the covers and weakly slapped her alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes, trying to force herself awake-and it worked, though not as she'd intended. When she moved, she felt an unfamiliar weight around her midsection. She paused, her breath catching in her throat and her heart beginning to race, before she finally remembered the night before and realized just whose arm it was that was wrapped around her waist. She looked over at the man beside her, snoring softly and still wearing those sunglasses. With a grin, she reluctantly extracted herself from his grip, rolling out of bed.

Still a bit groggy (even with the adrenaline of her momentary shock), she wandered over to her dresser and pulled out a set of underthings and nylons, then walked over to the closet and chose a dress. She glanced over at Elwood, who was still sound asleep, then back to the sparse options in her closet. For perhaps the first time in her life, she wished she had a greater variety of clothes. Though she had a number of different colors and fabrics, all of her dresses were of a similar cut and length. She had never before had anyone that she wanted to impress. She sighed and headed into the bathroom to change her clothes and try to tame her hair, but not before she leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on Elwood's cheek.

* * *

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm the frizz, as she stepped back into her bedroom. She laughed at the sight awaiting her; Elwood was sitting up in bed, having a stare-down with Boo, who had climbed up on the bed and surely woken him. "Get down, you mooch," she reprimanded, grabbing the dog by the collar and pulling her off of him, "He's not gonna take you out."

"Is that what she wanted? I though she was looking for s'more toast," he said, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. "I can take her out," he offered.

"You don't have to do that, El."

"It's no big deal," he said with a grin, stepping over and kissing her softly.

Boo barked at them again, and she pulled away, turning to the dog. "Alright, alright! He's all yours," she said, pulling her hands off of Elwood's firm chest. She hadn't even realized that she had reached out to touch him. She wondered how this man was able to make her do things without realizing she'd done them. But when she turned back to him, she realized that at least some of that power came from the dopey grin on his handsome face; it just made him so irresistible. "You can just let her out in the backyard. She might try to wander off but she'll come when you call. There's a leash in the pantry in the kitchen, if you need it."

"Kay. C'mon, pooch," he called, heading out the door. She watched her dog follow him, chuckling softly at the sight of Elwood's pale ankles, made readily visible by the pants that were several inches too short. She instinctively reached for her grandfather's old brown sweater and grabbed her handgun out of the drawer in her bedside table, shoving it down into her pocket. She reached under her bed, fishing out the brown heels she'd thrown under there last Friday and carried them with her out the door. A quick glance at the clock affirmed that she had time to make something for breakfast, so she headed downstairs.

She stopped into the dining room first, peering through the window in the back door at the man and dog in her backyard. Elwood was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a lit cigarette in his mouth, watching her dog wander around the yard. Chuckling, she headed into the kitchen to make coffee.

She didn't hear them come in, and was waiting over the toaster for her bagel to pop up when Boo came running up and nearly bowled her over. She laughed, shoving the dog away. "Alright, alright. You like Elwood, don't you girl?" The dog woofed happily, and Victoria glanced up at Elwood, who was watching her with a smile. "I like him, too," she whispered to the dog conspiratorially. She stood up as he strode across the room to her, placed his hands on her waist, and kissed her deeply. He tasted of tobacco smoke, but his lips were gentle and his hands held her as if afraid she might break. She had never been treated with such care before; she knew she wasn't particularly dainty, and no one had ever treated her as if she was, until now. Elwood had this curious way of making her feel…_feminine_, the way a woman _should_ feel. It was thrilling, intoxicating, even addicting; and the only thing she wanted to do was to make him feel like a _man_.

She pulled away from him, surprised at her own thoughts, as her bagel leapt out of the toaster. His lips had ignited a fire in her veins; but as soon as they were gone she felt all the heat of that fire rush into her face, and she turned away so he wouldn't see her blush. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked, hoping he didn't hear the quiver in her voice, though she knew it was obvious. She could feel him watching her carefully, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"Yes, please." His soft, low voice, coupled with the politeness of his tone regardless of the intimacy they had just shared, sent a shiver down her spine. She grabbed two mugs and filled them with strong, black coffee, trying to sort through the thoughts chasing each other around in her head. She had never moved so quickly with someone before; she had always been rather harsh, judgmental, and untrusting; with her friends, and even more so with her boyfriends. She kept people at a distance and rarely let anyone close. And yet she had let this man sleep in her bed with her last night, and had let him kiss her so often she had already lost count. Sure, his kiss hadn't been her first; but she had never let her previous boyfriends kiss her so soon. Now that she really thought about it, none of them had even _tried_ kissing her so soon. There was something different about Elwood…

_There's something different about Elwood_… That thought kept repeating in her head, over and over and over again. She looked down at the counter to find that she had pulled down two plates from the cabinet, had put a half of the bagel on each plate, and had spread cream cheese on both. She hadn't even asked him if he wanted any, hadn't made it with the intention of sharing; her hands had done this of their own accord. _There's something different about Elwood…_

"You wear a lot of dresses," he commented, startling her from her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she muttered, turning to place a cup of coffee and half of the bagel in front of him. He had taken up the same seat at the counter as he had last night, and she climbed into the one beside him. "My parents died when I was really young, and I was raised by my grandfather. He was very traditional; made me wear dresses every day. I have to dress nice for work, so it's just convenient. I guess it's a habit I can't break," she trailed off, biting into her bagel and still avoiding eye contact.

"They look good on you," he told her quietly, and she smiled, thinking of the fear she had felt that morning that he would grow bored of her limited wardrobe. Her face flushed again, and she tilted her head forward, trying to hide behind her hair.

"Thank you," she replied just as quietly. They ate in silence, except for the occasional whines and begs of the Great Dane who was watching both them and their food carefully. Victoria drained the last of her coffee and got up to place her dishes in the sink, grabbed her car keys off of their hook on the wall, and began to put on her heels. "I have to go to work," she said hurriedly, glancing at the watch on her wrist.

"Kay. What time will you be home?"

"I get off at 7, so about 7:30. What are you boys doing today?"

"We gotta go get a couple other guys from the band, Blue Lou and Matt Murphy. Then we're gonna try to find us a gig."

"Yeah? Well, I wanna go to your gig, once you get it, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, of course! I want you to be there." He was quiet for a long moment, and she turned to head out to the garage, but his voice stopped her, "Have… Have I done something wrong?" She whirled around to look at him, baffled.

"What? No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"It's just… You weren't really talking this morning, and I know you were busy eating, but I thought that maybe…" he trailed off, looking down at the ground. She looked down, too, staring at her shuffling feet.

"I'm sorry about that. You didn't do anything wrong, Elwood. I was just thinking. It's just..." she paused for a moment, considering how much of herself she could share with him. That thought echoed in her mind again, _there's something different about Elwood_, and she decided to trust him. "It's just, I haven't ever been like this with a guy before. I don't like to trust people, 'cause people always leave me, but I feel like I can trust you. There's something about you, Elwood, something different than anything I've ever had, and it feels good and it feels _righ__t_. But I've been alone for such a long time now, and I guess I'm kinda scared." By the time she finished talking, her voice was so soft she didn't know if he heard her. She couldn't remember ever having admitted that she was scared, and certainly not about a relationship. This was all very new to her.

She looked up, finally looking at him, when she heard him stand to his feet and approach her. His hands went to both of her furiously-burning cheeks, and he leaned in closely and told her softly, "You don't need to be scared, 'cause you're never gonna be alone again. Not if I can help it."

She didn't know if he kissed her or if she kissed him, but the next thing she knew they were kissing each other passionately, and she had one hand around the back of his neck and the other buried in his hair. Her back was against the wall, and he was pressing his body against her tightly. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest, pressed so close to her own, and knew that her heart was racing to keep up.

He pulled away so they could breathe, and he rested his forehead on hers, both of them gasping for air. Boo woofed urgently, making her jump and look at her watch.

"I have to go!" she breathed, extracting her hand from his hair and pulling away from the warmth of his body reluctantly. She flung the door to the garage open, punched the automatic garage door opener, and whirled around to place one quick, searing kiss on Elwood's lips before dashing to her truck. "I'll see you tonight!" she called, waving as the truck engine roared to life stronger than it had in years, and backed out of the driveway as quickly as she could. Elwood stood in the doorway, watching her with a grin on his face, until he couldn't see her any more.


	8. Nothing to Fear

Author's Note/Disclaimer: So I'm posting this later than I had wanted to, and it's shorter than I had planned, and it's frustrating me. I'm sorry. I guess this is kind of a filler chapter, but I still think it's good. I got to write some of it from Jake's perspective, which was way more fun than I had anticipated (writing Kevin was a lot of fun, too. I hope you like him, though I'll warn you that his language is a wee bit stronger than this story has used before). I think the next chapter will also be from Jake, so if you have any criticism/advice for that, I'd love to hear it! I don't own the Blues Brothers, but I still hope you're enjoying this story!

Chapter Eight: _Nothing to Fear_

It had been hard to get Elwood out of her head before, but now it was just _impossible_.

Victoria made it to work just barely on time, right after the flood of morning check-outs. Everything reminded her of him. She saw guests of the hotel with ties around their necks and thought of him. She leaned against the front desk when her manager wasn't around and thought of sitting beside him at her counter at home. She watched her co-worker, Kevin, drum his fingers on the desk when there was a lull and thought of the way Elwood's big hands felt against her cheeks; at her waist; holding her close as they slept last night. She thought of the way he had kissed her this morning, the delicious sensation of his body pinning her against the wall. And she thought of the promise he had made her, "…_You're never gonna be alone again. Not if I can help it._"

She rubbed at her eyes, forcing herself back to the present and trying to stifle a yawn. Kevin was watching her, the slightest hint of concern in his eyes, and she wondered if he'd been trying to talk to her and she simply hadn't noticed. "You okay there, Vicky? You seem out of it today. You gettin' sick?"

She pulled away from the desk, not even trying to hide the intense feeling of loathing she felt toward the name Vicky. "Nah, I'm okay," she answered dismissively. "Think I'll make some coffee. You want some?" He shook his head no, so she stepped in front of the desk and over to the guest bar-strategically covered with fruit, individually-wrapped muffins, and hot drinks-and began to brew a fresh pot of coffee.

"What's the matter, your new man wear you out last night?"

She laughed. "_God_! What, did Larry call you or something?"

"He _may_ have poured me a drink last night after closing, and he _might_ have mentioned that you left with a guy."

She crossed her arms and leaned back against the bar, fixing him with a look. "You mean he poured himself a drink and then bitched about me the whole time?"

He smirked and shrugged a pair of skinny shoulders. Kevin wasn't a very tall man, but his extreme thinness made him appear taller than he was. "That's another plausible account of the night. God, sometimes I wish you'd just fuck him so he'd stop complaining."

"You know I won't do that. Hey, shut up; guest!" She hurried back behind the counter and they slapped on their best attempts at cheerful and excited grins for the family of five that had just arrived to check in. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she signed them into the system and found what room they were supposed to stay in. She had only been a mediocre typist when she first took the job, but now she was the quickest the hotel had. She passed along a couple of room keys as Kevin offered to help carry their luggage. Fortunately they said they didn't need any help—Kevin was not built for strength, and most of their suitcases were enormous. Victoria might have had a better chance than he would, but the hotel tried to protect itself from lawsuits by prohibiting female employees from carrying luggage if a male employee was around.

They kept up the smiles and pretended to look busy, but both were abandoned as soon as the family shuffled into the elevator and the doors closed behind them. Victoria meandered back over to the guest bar and poured herself some coffee.

"Alright, now that the stiffs are gone," Kevin began, resting his elbows on the desk and his chin in his hands in an exaggerated and sarcastic posture of interest, "Tell me all about your new fella'."

She shrugged, considering whether she should take an apple or not. Deciding the taste wouldn't go well with her coffee, she grabbed a chocolate chip muffin instead. "What do you wanna know?" she asked, peeling away at the wrapper.

"Did you fuck him?"

She nearly dropped the muffin entirely, spluttering, "What? _No_!"

"Seriously? So some tall, dark, and handsome comes by the Armada Room to hear you sing, then takes you home with him and you don't put out? _For shame_."

"It wasn't like that," she grumbled, heading behind the desk with her coffee. "It wasn't like that at all. I'd met him before, and we just happened to run into each other last night. And I didn't go home with him! …He came home with me."

"Aha!" he exclaimed, ecstatic.

"But so did his brother!" she blurted.

"Wait, what? Ew. I didn't realize you were such a freak—"

"I'm _not_. I didn't mean it like that and you know it." She groaned, realizing she'd have to explain. "They just needed a place to stay, so I told 'em they could stay with me."

"For how long?"

"I dunno, we didn't really talk specifics."

"Let me get this straight," he began, leaning back and fixing her with an appraising look, "You welcomed two men you barely know into your house, to stay for an indefinite period of time?"

"Well, it sounds bad when you put it that way…"

"What if they were criminals or something, Victoria?" he demanded.

"Well, his brother just got out of prison, so he's not likely to mess up any time soon or he'll go right back in. And I don't know about Elwood, but I mean he doesn't seem like much of a saint either, so maybe he's been to jail too."

He looked at her as if she'd just grown a second head. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, looking for something to say. "That's just… That's so unlike you! You've never invited anyone from work over to your house, and you've known us for _years_; and most of us have never been to _prison_!" He shook his head at her while she gave him a sheepish shrug and tried to hide behind her coffee cup. He sighed heavily. "That must be one hell of a guy."

"He _really_ is," she assured with a grin.

* * *

Jake Blues never drove. Not because he couldn't, or didn't want to. Sometimes it killed him to just sit in the car, with no control over where they were going or how quickly they would get there. All of his life, people told him what to do, and how and when to do it—and all of his life he had rebelled against that, taking control over his own damn life, thank you very much. He wasn't a control freak, he just needed to feel free; especially now, having spent the last three years in prison.

But driving was a different story. That was Elwood's thing, and Jake would never take that away from him.

He would never admit to it, but one of his favorite things was riding around in the passenger seat of Elwood's car, listening to the blues together. Though he couldn't exactly say why it was his favorite. It made him antsy, and bored, and admittedly grumpy at times—especially when Elwood was being particularly quiet, as he was tonight, and made no contribution to Jake's attempts at conversation. It still felt good to have his brother by his side again, no matter the circumstance. And he would never pass up an opportunity to ride with him, no matter where they were going.

Maybe it was because he knew how important it was to Elwood. He still thought of him as a kid, sometimes, so eager to please his older brother, so desperate to make him proud. As if Jake could ever be disappointed in him. El was so different from him, his opposite in every way except for their love of the blues—the only thing that really mattered. There were only three things in this world that mattered to Elwood—his brother, the blues, and cars. And God help anyone who tried to keep him from those.

Though, Jake supposed, there were four things now.

That girl, Victoria, had thrown him for a loop. He'd seen El with girls before; he had a way with women, who were easily attracted to his gentle, quiet nature. He never had to try too hard to get a girl, and yet he never seemed particularly interested to do so. Girls weren't on Elwood's list of things; they made for a nice diversion, but they were never a priority. Until now.

For Jake, who knew his brother's habits so well, it was clear to see that she had made it on his list. Elwood had been unusually quiet lately, even for him; but it wasn't because he was worried about raising money for the orphanage, at least not entirely. He hadn't even seemed to notice that Jake had made no phone calls, or that he'd been lying when he told the band he'd gotten them a gig tomorrow night. He'd been too busy chatting with Willie and Murph about how Victoria had said she wanted to come hear them. Jake wanted to be understanding and supportive, knowing that Elwood had never had a girlfriend he was particularly fond of and interested in before; but the thought of competing for his brother's attention and affection left a sour feeling in his stomach. There had been a girl in the past—Amy, or Abby, or Andi or something, he couldn't quite remember—who had wanted Elwood all to herself, and had thought it strange that the two brothers spent so much time together. Maybe it _was_ a bit strange, but they didn't care, and the girl didn't last very long anyway.

When they finally made it back to Victoria's house and went inside, they found her in the kitchen cooking. "I hope you boys are hungry," she had called over her shoulder before even saying hello, "I'm making spaghetti!" It felt weird to see his brother kissing somebody, but he still watched him stride over to the girl and pick her up by the waist to kiss her so he didn't have to bend over. And he watched her reaction to this, the way she wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned into him, and how hard she laughed when he finally set her down. Jake was far more observant than he let on, and he could tell that the poor girl was in love with his brother, though maybe she didn't realize it just yet. He was surprised when she spun around to face him, a smile still plastered on her face. "Hey there, Jake! Did ya sleep alright last night?"

As he answered that he had, he felt a bit of that sour feeling in his stomach go away. Elwood seemed content to just sit back and watch with a smile on his face as his two favorite people chatted. She asked Jake if he'd found the band a place to play, and asked his permission to go with them tomorrow, and asked him about the other members of the band whom she hadn't met yet. With every question and every joke they made, he felt the worry in his stomach ease a little more, until he didn't feel it at all. She seemed so genuine; it wasn't like she was hoping to impress Elwood by talking to his brother. If anything, she seemed to realize that he was a better conversationalist than El, and knew she'd get more thorough and satisfying answers from the older Blues brother. She truly didn't want him out of the picture; and Jake knew he had nothing to fear from the little lady who had caught Elwood's eye.


	9. How Long?

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Oh gosh, I'm so sorry about the delay you guys. It took me ages to get this one written. I should have the next chapter up soon, now that the school semester is nearly over. Anyway, thank you for reading, I love you, and enjoy! And I don't own the Blues Brothers, so please don't sue me. I have no money.

Chapter Nine: _How Long?_

As, Victoria was learning, were all meals with the Blues brothers, dinner was quite the spectacle. They ate in the living room—she and Elwood on one couch, and Jake and Boo on the other—while watching reruns of Jeopardy, shouting out their answers and laughing at how little they actually knew. She had made a lot of spaghetti, hoping to have some leftovers for tomorrow; but between Jake going back for fourths, and the dog sneaking bites off of everyone's plates, it was all gone sooner than she could believe. She made a mental note to adjust her food budget to account for Jake's hearty appetite. She would also have to account for Elwood's strange diet, she thought, with a glance at his plate of plain pasta.

After they ate, the television was turned off and the boys rifled through her record collection. They put on a B.B. King record, cracked open a bottle of Canadian Club, and worked their way through a pack of cigarettes. Every so often, Elwood would pull out his harmonica and play along. It was the first time she had heard him play, and was thoroughly impressed. He could make that harp sing!

Jake got up and opened the window, letting the smoke out into the cool night air. Victoria watched him carefully as he hesitated by her bookshelf against the wall. He was looking at the picture.

"Hey, Vic. Who's this?" He turned, holding up the framed photo. In it, a black man in a suit and a white woman in a wedding dress held each other tightly, grinning widely at the camera.

"My parents," she answered with a grin.

"Your parents? You're mixed?"

"Jake!" Elwood reprimanded sharply, but Victoria just laughed.

"I know, not easy to tell, is it? Apparently I take after my mom."

"What happened to them?"

She took a long drag of her cigarette before answering, pressing the butt into the growing pile of ashes in the ashtray. "They were shot. I told you my grandfather bought this house. They thought, living in Chicago, that they'd be okay. It's a big place, ya know? Mixed couple wouldn't stick out too much. But I guess they caught someone's attention." She lit another cigarette. "My grandfather was a pretty prominent lawyer back in Maine, and used a lot of favors to get them to investigate the shooting more closely. Even so, there was no way to prove it was a racial thing, and no one was ever prosecuted. I was sent to live with gramps, came back to Illinois for college, and took up living here. And then I met you boys," she ended with a grin, though it was a bit strained.

Elwood leaned toward her, though still keeping his distance. It was clear he wasn't sure what to say or do. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Thanks. Honestly, I think I got pretty lucky. It all happened before I can remember. I have no memories of my parents, so I have nothing to miss." She chuckled at the expressions on their faces. "I know it makes me sound heartless. But you can't miss something you never had, and I know nothing about my parents except what I've been told. The way I see it, they would have had to die eventually. If I had known them before I lost them, their death would have hurt. Instead, I feel nothing."

They were quiet for a long time, the smooth voice of B.B. King filling the silence in the room. Eventually, Elwood blurted out, "Jake and I are orphans."

"What?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yep. We didn't know our parents either. You know…we get it."

She smiled, amused by his attempt to cheer her up. "Thanks, El."

Jake cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's talk about something really important. Like our show tomorrow!"

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Elwood murmured into her hair. Victoria reluctantly opened her eyes to look at him. She had nearly been asleep.

"Of course, El." It was difficult to tell where he was looking, since he even _slept_ with those sunglasses on, but she was pretty sure he was looking at her.

"How long did you wait for me? At the diner. You never said."

"Oh." She could feel her face flush bright red. "Umm. I was there for about two hours."

"Two hours?" he repeated, shifting to a more comfortable position in the bed and pulling her closer in the process. "That's a long time."

She gave a half-hearted laugh. "Tell me about it."

He was quiet for a long time, thinking, and she had closed her eyes again, assuming he was done talking. "Why'd you wait so long?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake her if she had fallen asleep.

"Because I wanted to see you," she replied with a smile, not opening her eyes. He kissed her forehead softly, causing her to sigh contentedly.

After another long pause, he spoke again. "You shouldn't've had to wait so long. I told that waitress what you looked like."

She smiled, opening her eyes again as she remembered what the woman had told her. "She said you told her to give it to the most beautiful girl to walk through the door."

"Exactly," he said, without hesitation and without even the slightest hint of irony. The smile fell from her face and she gazed at him intently, trying to find his eyes behind those dark lenses.

"You really meant it, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," he answered, his brow creasing as if he couldn't imagine why she would think otherwise.

She didn't know what to think about that. So she decided not to think, opting rather to place her hand flat against his chest and kiss him. He responded immediately, working his lips against hers as his hand undid the braid she had put her hair in for the night. When she reluctantly pulled away from his mouth to breathe, his hand stayed buried in her hair, his fingers running through the soft brown curls.

They were silent for a long time, and she began dozing off again. Just before she fell asleep, she pressed her face against his chest and murmured, "I think I'm in love with you, Elwood."

After she had fallen asleep, he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I _know_ I'm in love with you."


End file.
